Govt vows to sell out rice in the next six months

BANGKOK, 22 January 2014 The government has vowed to sell 30 billion baht worth of pledged rice a month for the next six months.

The national rice policy committee's meeting, chaired by the Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, has agreed to seek the Council of State's opinion on whether the caretaker government has authority to borrow funds to support the rice pledging program.

The rice scheme has been plaguing the caretaker government, which has missed payments to a large number of farmers, who have demanded that the government pay them no later than January 25, otherwise they will stage a major protest.

Deputy Commerce Minister Yanyong Puangraj said after the meeting that the ministry would spare no effort to sell at least 30 billion baht worth of rice in its stockpile a month for the next six months.